Sam drove Mon home to ensure her safety and fulfill her promise to take care of her.
"Do you want to come inside first?" Mon invited Sam into their house.
"It's getting late; maybe next time, Mon," Sam replied. Mon got out of Sam's car, and Sam rolled down her window to watch Mon enter the gate. As Mon reached the gate, she turned to wave goodbye to Sam, who waved back in return.
As soon as Mon disappeared from Sam's sight, she accelerated her car to drive home.
Mon entered her home, where her parents were in the living room, and she paid her respects to them.
"Mon, Yuki is in your room. She said she's here because she's sleeping over," Mon's father said.
"Oh gosh! I forgot that was tonight!" Mon exclaimed, bidding farewell to her parents to check up on Yuki.
Mon opened her room's door and saw Yuki standing by the window.
"Yuki!!! I'm so sorry!!!" Mon exclaimed, hugging her best friend from behind.
"That car seemed so familiar, Mon," Yuki replied.
"What car?" Mon asked, pretending not to know what Yuki was talking about.
"Don't play pretend, Mon. The car that drove you home," Yuki replied.
"Oh, that," Mon said, breaking the hug and organizing her things on her desk.
"So, you were with Sam. Should I be jealous now? It seems you have a new best friend," Yuki replied jealously.
"Aww, Yuki!! It's not like that," Mon replied. "She just invited me for dinner, and I couldn't resist her."
"Your idea is for me to go out, have a good time, and enjoy myself, right?" Mon said, sitting in front of her mirror, gently removing her makeup.
"Yeah, but..." Yuki began, but Mon cut her off. "Okay, Yuki, I get it. That's the plan," Mon replied, as she continued with her evening skincare routine.
"What's going on with you? Just the other day, we couldn't have a proper conversation with you. Now, you seem like a completely different person," Yuki said, bewildered by Mon's sudden shift in perspective.
"Maybe I just got tired of crying, of being miserable," Mon replied. "I realized I had shut my door to you guys, to the people who cared about me. When I met Jim, Kade, Tee, and especially Sam, I suddenly felt like there are still people who can bring me happiness and love," Mon explained.
In response to Sam's text, Mon typed, "I had a great time too. Why are you still awake? It's nearly midnight; you should be resting now," as she leaned back on her couch, awaiting a reply.
Her phone chimed with Sam's response: "Concerned for me, Mon? Why?"
Mon rolled her eyes, grinning, then replied, "Why? Because you just recovered from your operation, so you need to take care of yourself. Of course, I'm concerned; I care for you, Sam."
Smiling, Mon waited for another reply from Sam. "Really? Mon, don't make my heart flutter too much, you know it's bad for me," Sam replied. Mon giggled and shook her head in amusement.
"Anyway, Mon, I just texted to say goodnight and thank you again," Sam added.
"Okay, Sam. Goodnight. See you soon," Mon concluded their text messages, sighing as she felt her chest flutter and smiled.
"Hey, Mon, who was that, huh? You're smiling all by yourself... Let me guess, it was Sam... You like her, don't you?" Yuki teased Mon, poking her cheeks.
"Yuki, don't be foolish!" Mon exclaimed, denying it to Yuki.
As the night continued with laughter and more teasing, they succumbed to the night and fell into a deep slumber.
The next day, Kade remained anxious about the sudden changes with Sam. She paced back and forth, her expression blank. Jim and Tee watched Kade's movements intently.
"Kade, could you please stop? I'm starting to feel dizzy!" Jim exclaimed.
"What's your problem, Kade? Can you settle down for a bit?" Tee added.
"I'm just curious," Kade replied.
"Curious about what?" Jim asked.
"Do you remember how Sam avoids people? She never meets anyone else but us," Kade began explaining. Jim and Tee listened attentively, waiting to hear what Kade had to say.
"Also, when it comes to shopping, she can't say no to me. I can easily drag her out of her office when I say I need something at the mall," Kade continued, her forehead creased as she stared blankly.
"But you know what, yesterday, she refused to join me because she had plans to meet someone," Kade added.
"And who is that person?" Tee asked.
"She planned to meet Mon," Kade confirmed.
"My thoughts might be correct, I guess," Jim exclaimed, giggling.
"And I can't agree more with what you're thinking, Jim," Tee agreed, smiling widely.
"Do you want to confirm our thoughts, guys?" Tee asked, her grin widening mischievously.
"How?" Jim asked, intrigued. Tee grinned mischievously, holding her chin, as Kade and Jim exchanged curious glances, wondering what Tee was planning.
A little while later, the three of them found themselves settled in a cafeteria, with dishes being served for them to share.
Before they began eating, Jim asked curiously, "Are you sure she's coming?"
"Just see for yourself, Jim," Tee replied, grinning as she sipped on her soda.
Moments later, Sam came dashing to Jim.
"Jim, are you okay?" Sam exclaimed worriedly as she hugged her best friend. "Aren't you hurt anywhere?" she added, checking Jim's body for any injuries.
Feeling irritated by Sam's constant touching, Jim snapped, "I'm fine, Sam! Tee, what did you tell her?"
"Well, I just told her that you fell on the stairs because of your clumsiness," Tee replied, laughing.
"Jim is fine? So why did you tell me that, Tee?" Sam turned to Tee, curious.
"It's because we knew you wouldn't meet us if there wasn't a sudden reason," Kade explained, handing her a plate and a pair of utensils.
"You should have told me that you wanted to have lunch with me!" Sam suggested as she served pasta onto her plate.
"So, what's this meetup all about?" Sam asked, taking her first spoonful of pasta.
"Well, we're just concerned about you, Sam. We've noticed changes in your behavior. We can't reach you, and you're wanting to meet other people..." Kade began to explain.
"What's wrong with meeting other people?" Sam interjected, not allowing Kade to finish.
"No, nothing's wrong. But you know that we're concerned if there are unusual things happening to you," Jim explained.
"Guys, it's just Mon who I've been meeting recently. She's not just anybody. You know her, right?" Sam replied defensively.
"Are you two together now?" Tee asked.
"Are you serious? We just met a week ago," Sam replied, chuckling.
"And that's it. We're concerned about it. We're just worried that you might be investing too much emotion in her. We all know she's still coping with her boyfriend's death. What if she changes her mind? What if she feels she can't be with you? You might get hurt," Kade explained, expressing concern.
"Speaking of Mon, I want to help her move on. I'll introduce her to some other friends; who knows, she might find her new love," Tee suggested, giggling, while Sam looked furious at Tee's suggestion.
"Why do you need to do that? We're here to support her," Sam hesitated at Tee's suggestion.
"Well, Sam, agree. We're her friends, so we can't be her lovers. That's why I'm setting up a blind date for her," Tee replied, gazing at Sam with a smile, though Sam's smile furrowed, and she released a deep sigh.
Sam stood up slowly, leaning forward to Tee, resting both palms on the table, panting slowly with frustration.
"Don't you dare do that, Tee. If you still want me to talk to you, all of you! Mon is mine! Do you get it, Tee?" Sam replied as she angrily walked out.
Kade, Jim, and Tee celebrated Sam's outburst with laughter. They raised their wine glasses, cheering as they confirmed that Sam liked Mon. The three continued their cheerful discussion about Sam's obvious interest in Mon.